interlaced CCD vs progressive CCD

[zhu001]

i noticed A2 uses an interlaced CCD. anyone know the quality difference among those 8 meg cameras - nikon, sony, minolta?

is A2 a cheap version of so called 8 meg but really less than 8 meg effective pixels?

thanks in advance.

[slipe]

All of the 8Mp prosumer cameras use the same 8Mp Sony CCD. I think it is 8.3 total and 8.1 effective.

There is a new 8.5Mp CMOS Canon sensor for DSLR which is completely different of course.

[MarkoB]

Originally Posted by zhu001

i noticed A2 uses an interlaced CCD.

No, the CCD is not really interlaced (the same way as television sets are).

In this case interlaced is a poorly chosen term that tells it's not possible to read data out of the CCD in a single pass after the exposure, because each pixel does not have it's own read-out buffer.

I'll repeat: the photos will not be "interlaced". All pixels record the photo at the same time (controlled by the mechanical shutter), but data readout is carried out in two phases.

The A1, on the other hand, has a non-interlaced CCD. In this case it means each pixel has it's own buffer. Now, what's important, these buffers can also act as an electronic shutter - exposure is terminated when the charge is moved to the buffer. Because every pixel has it's own (electronic) shutter, the A1 can record full resolution photos at very high shutter speeds (up to 1/16000 s).

The CCD used in the A2 as well as the 5 MP CCD used in the 7xx need a mechanical shutter when taking full resolution photos. Electronic shutter function is only available up to 1/2 (vertical) resolution (UHS mode), because only half of the pixels have a buffer.

[setsan]

Originally Posted by MarkoB

The A1, on the other hand, has a non-interlaced CCD. In this case it means each pixel has it's own buffer. Now, what's important, these buffers can also act as an electronic shutter - exposure is terminated when the charge is moved to the buffer. Because every pixel has it's own (electronic) shutter, the A1 can record full resolution photos at very high shutter speeds (up to 1/16000 s).

Very interesting.

I've boight an A1 and I'm very interested in technical matters about this camera.

Can you explain me in details how it works the "shutter phase" in this camera?

Are there 2 shutters, one mechanical and one electronic?

thanks a lot

[zhu001]

thx for the info